Fillings

Cavities and tooth decay are serious threats to your oral health, but the dental experts at Smile Dental Clinic can keep you healthy with high-quality fillings. Farah Ahmad, DDS, Sumra Ahmad, DDS, and Saira Ahmad, DDS, provide all of their patients in Falls Church and Herndon, Virginia, with exceptional fillings to treat their cavities and restore their smiles. To learn more, schedule a visit by calling the office or booking an appointment online today.

What is a filling?

A filling is a procedure that the Smile Dental Clinic team performs to fill a hole in your tooth’s enamel.

Some of the more common materials used in fillings include:

• Tooth-colored composites
• Ceramic or porcelain
• Glass ionomer
• Silver amalgam
• Cast gold

You Smile Dental Clinic dentist works with you to pick a filling material that’s best suited to your particular needs, preferences, and budget.

The most common reason for getting a filling is to treat cavities caused by tooth decay. 

What is a cavity?

A cavity is a hole in the hard outer layer of your tooth, which is called the “enamel.” 

Tooth decay is one of the more common causes of cavities. Cavities caused by tooth decay happen when plaque is allowed to stay on the surface of your teeth for too long. This typically happens because you aren’t brushing or flossing properly at home, but it can also happen if you have crooked or misaligned teeth that are simply harder to clean. 

Plaque is made up of a variety of bacteria and acid. The bacteria and acid found in plaque eat away at your tooth’s enamel, which creates a hole or cavity. 

What happens when I get a filling?

The process for getting a filling is fairly simple, straightforward, and quick. Your Smile Dental Clinic dentist first numbs your tooth and the surrounding tissue with a local anesthetic. Next, they use a small drill, laser, or air abrasion instrument to dig out all of the decay in your tooth.

Once your tooth is free of decay, your dentist sterilizes the hole, then fills it with a filling material. They let the material dry, then use the drill, laser, or air abrasion instrument to properly shape your tooth by shaving off any excess material.

The end result is a happy and healthy tooth that’s sealed off from any further decay.

How do I care for my filling?

The beauty of a filling is that it doesn’t require any sort of special care! You simply brush and floss it like you would the rest of your natural teeth.

You should remember, though, that your filling treated an area of your mouth that was clearly susceptible to tooth decay, so you should take extra care and effort to make sure that you’re properly brushing and flossing around the tooth you’ve had filled.

To learn more about how Smile Dental Clinic can improve your smile with a filling, call the office or schedule a visit online today.